Unexpected spawn from my Apistogramma agassizii red

[cory]

Hi bros,

On Monday I discovered that my 2ft tank was afflicted with white spot disease, 2 of my lower xingu plecs & the agassizii male has ick on them. After 30% of WC, I added some aquarium salt, methane blue & raised the temperature to 31°C for ick treatment.

Yesterday saw that the female agassizii was behaving aggressively, chasing away all the other fishes in the comm. tank. Upon checking, found out that the pair had spawned in the coconut cave. As the tank still under treatment for ick, I opt to remove the coconut husk & put it into another small tank. In the small tank I added some methane blue & 1 airstone / sponge filter.

This is the first time for me to have apistogramma eggs, would like to seek advice on:

1) How to know whether the eggs are fertile? The colour of the eggs are pale pink when I checked yesterday.
2) Survival rate of the fries (provided they hatch) when they were separated from the female?
3) I intend to feed solely on liquifry when they hatched & NLS 0.05mm pallets when they grow bigger. Would it be sufficient?
4) May I know what are the things need to be done to ensure a good hatching & survival rate?

Greatly appreciate for any comments & advice, thank you.

[mobile2007]

Congrat for your agassizi. The eggs will take 7-8 days to hatch and free swimming.

1. Once the female guarding the eggs, should be fertilized. Pale pink indicated good condition.

2. Depends on your care. Many got good survival rate.

3. Add in some mosses and plants, so they can feed on the micro-organism on the mosses/plants first 1-3 days. After that, live bbs or microworm.

4. Take care of the water. WC constantly, but not too much. Feed constantly.

[cory]

Thanks for the great advice, bro mobile2007.

You mentioned WC constantly, so should I start to change the water after eggs hatched or WC should be done starting as from today before the hatching?

Sorry, another noobie question. Should I change the water from my ick infested tank (which contained methane blue, salt) or treated water straight from tap?

Thanks once again

[joopsg]

Why you add the blue into the water?
It is usually used for fungus prevention.
Ick just need high temperature and salt for at least 2 week.
Outbreak due to the recent rain?
Regarding the change of water issue.
Just keep removing the bluish water and refill fresh water but need to put salt for the ick treatment.
Get a heater if you do not have one.
Do not overdose the salt.

[mobile2007]

You can start changing water now, 2-3 days interval, 10-20% . Don't use water from the ick infested tank. If you got other tanks, use the water from there. Else, treated water from tap. Added some methylene blue to prevent the eggs from fungus.

[johnlim]

Congrat for your agassizi. The eggs will take 7-8 days to hatch and free swimming.

1. Once the female guarding the eggs, should be fertilized. Pale pink indicated good condition.

2. Depends on your care. Many got good survival rate.

3. Add in some mosses and plants, so they can feed on the micro-organism on the mosses/plants first 1-3 days. After that, live bbs or microworm.

4. Take care of the water. WC constantly, but not too much. Feed constantly.

are you selling the baby agassizii red

[cory]

Hi Joop,

Thanks for the advice I've read somewhere on the websites that adding of methylene blue in the ick infested tank will help to cure the disease.

The website stated that blue was effective against some external protozoans, such as Ich, Chilodonella and Costia.

Outbreak might be as per what you mentioned, the recent rainy season.

I have already installed a heater in the tank, set @ 31°C.

[cory]

Hi johnlim,

I can pass you a few pieces to try out provided the eggs successfully hatched & frys can survive without the mother's care. However, you got to wait for around 6 to 10 weeks if they really survived.

Alternatively, you can refer to this link by bro taygu :

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=62694

[Jitticus]

It's true. Methylene blue is one of the cures for ich.

The non-pleco fishes will be rather uncomfortable with the high temperature, in my opinion. Salt and meth blue does the job all the time for me. If the white spots are still recalcitrant, add some coppersafe. The Mardel brand has given me no problems so far with regards to dosing.

[cory]

Thanks for all the great advice bros

No more visible white spots in the 2ft tank.

Discovered last night that some of the eggs turned to white colour & lost its stickiness on the coconut husk. I suspect those must be fungused or "bad eggs". Hopefully tonight no more of these "bad eggs".

[stormhawk]

Take note that the ich parasite has a 3 stage life cycle. It is advisable to remove the fishes to a separate hospital tank for treatment for slightly more than a week. This is to ensure that any remaining cysts in the original tank, are unable to infect any fish.

Raise the temperature in the original tank to 30 degC. Remove the other fish to a separate hospital tank. Treat them there for 1 week. Change the water in the original tank, and then re-introduce the fish. That should break the chain of infection.

[cory]

Thanks stormhawk,

Wanted to get another new 2 footer for the infected fishes but CO making noise , no choice but to treat the tank together with the fishes. I have planned to treat the 2ft tank for 10 days schedule.

Hope that some of the eggs able to hatch & the frys can survive. Doesn't look optimistic from last night's observation, eggs turning white & lost stickiness. Maybe tonight all eggs will turned fungused.

[stormhawk]

Well in that case, no choice but bomb the tank + fish at once.

As for the eggs, it's common to lose an entire spawn when you try to artificially hatch them. I usually place the airstone very close to the eggs, ensuring a gentle flow of air bubbles around the eggs. Seems to stimulate their development. Infertile eggs I tend to suck out with a pipette. Because once they get fungus, the fungus can and will affect fertile eggs nearby.

Take note then when you remove the infertile eggs, you MUST not burst it. If you do and spill the contents into the tank, it seems to accelerate the growth of fungus.

[cory]

Thanks once again stormhawk,

I have removed the fungused eggs last night. Numbers of eggs reduced from ballpark figure of 60+ to 10+, similiar procedure for corydoras eggs.

Really hope that these 10 over eggs can hatch & give me an opportunity to learn & experience how to raise apistos frys.

[cory]

My pair of A. Amadeus has spawned in my 3.5' comm. tank last evening. Just transferred them from office to home yesterday, never expect them to spawn after 2 hours.

[stormhawk]

Congratulations cory. The sudden change in environment probably triggered them to spawn. You should watch the eggs to see if the mother cares for them. As others have mentioned, if they are pinkish red in colour, they should be fertile. Hopefully the same works out for me soon.

[cory]

Thanks storm,

The mother is relatively small in size & quite young, maybe that explain why only a small brood of eggs. She doesn't really guard the eggs, kept on chasing the male amadeus & cories. I have already siphon out the eggs to another container, added methylene & increase aeration.

Hope to hear some good news from you

[mobile2007]

why did you siphon the eggs out?? Isn't it better to let the female handle the eggs?

[stormhawk]

Yes I agree with mobile. You should always leave the eggs in the care of the mother. If she abandons the clutch and you wish to save it, that is when you should attempt to artificially hatch them.

Note, the use of methylene blue usually kills filter bacteria in a small incubation/hospital tank. You should do frequent water changes to reduce waste products in the water during the incubation stage.

[cory]

Hi mobile & storm,

Intially I wanted to leave the eggs in the comm tank with the mother, but upon observation I got quite quite worried that the mother will not be able to guard the eggs as the altums, P. scalares & cories looks threatening & kept on closing in to the eggs. The petite sized mother seems like not able to hold on to the pestering of the big angels.